More than 500K Drive-Alone Trips Reduced in 2015
Choice Connections Program will honor smart transportation choices March 23 ceremony
Snohomish County, Wash. – Community Transit’s Choice Connections program promotes smart transportation options throughout Snohomish County. In 2015, these commute trip reduction efforts combined to eliminate 538,696 drive-alone trips and 5.8 million pounds of CO2 from the air we breathe.
Two innovative incentive programs are offered in Snohomish County to help reduce traffic congestion and pollution and encourage healthy travel options.
- Smart Commuter Rewards is an incentive program that helps large businesses motivate employees to reduce their drive-alone trips to work.
- Curb the Congestion promotes smart transportation options to residents and employees on six of Snohomish County’s most congested corridors.
The Choice Connections program recognizes individuals and worksites in Snohomish County and the City of Bothell that support Washington State Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) goals. They go above and beyond to use smart transportation alternatives to driving alone and encourage workers to do so.
Each quarter, Community Transit recognizes standout participants and employers who are dedicated to smart transportation choices. On March 23, the agency will recognize the year’s best at the Choice Connections Awards Luncheon.
The Choice Connections award winners for 4th Quarter of 2015 are:
Curb the Congestion Champion of the Quarter
Eric Blanchet of Monroe travels more than 58 miles by longboard, skateboard, and bus every day to his job at Microsoft in Redmond. For more than seven years he’s been committed to choosing a healthy commute not only for himself but the environment as well. He’s often seen riding his longboard around the Microsoft campus and even helps teach his coworkers how to ride.
Smart Commuter of the Quarter
Daniel Dootson of Edmonds has biked 50,000 miles to work over the past 23 years, rain or shine, five days a week. As Edmonds Community College’s Visual Media Services Director, he applies this same tenacity to his job. He knows that if he can conquer the elements, he can handle anything that might come his way during the work day.
Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) of the Quarter
Sylvia Peacock of Trade Products & Specialty Manufacturing in Lynnwood is consistent in her Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) efforts. She makes the time to provide extra assistance to her employees, many of which don’t have access to a computer. Thanks to her efforts, she increased the number of employees tracking their non-drive alone trips by 20 percent, and helped save more than 2,100 pounds of CO2 pollution during in the 4th quarter alone.
Employer of the Quarter
The City of Monroe provides outreach and education to its employees on smart transportation choices to get to and from work. At the end of 2015, the city had 20 percent of its employees participating in its worksite transportation program. In partnership with Community Transit, the City of Monroe is working to expand its efforts to promote smart transportation to other residents and employers in the community. These outreach efforts are making an impact, and helping take cars off the road.
To learn more about the Choice Connections program and to sign up to start receiving rewards for your smart transportation choices, please visit www.communitytransit/ChoiceConnections.
Community Transit is responsible for providing transportation options for Snohomish County residents, including bus and paratransit service, vanpool and ridesharing options. Call Community Transit at (425) 353-RIDE or (800) 562-1375 for bus information, or (888) 814-1300 for carpool or vanpool information, or go to www.communitytransit.org. You can also read our blog at www.communitytransit.blogspot.com, visit our Facebook page, follow us @MyCommTrans on Twitter or see us on YouTube.
